Manufacture of slide-plates for railway-switches.



' R. J. DAVIDSON. MANUPAGTURE 0F SLIDE PLATES FOR RAILWAY SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1909.

Patented N0v.30, 1909.

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:w sTATEs' ROBERT J. DAVIDSON, OF I-IILLBURN, NEW' YORK, ASSIGNOB TO STANDARD EQUIP- MENT COMPANY, OF MAI-IWAI-I, NEVJ JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

Application filed July 13, 1909. Serial No. 507,313. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. DAVIDSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at I-Iillburn, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Slide-Plates for Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates particularly to the slide plates upon which move the switch tongues of railway switches and upon which the adjacent rails are supported and it has for its object to produce slide plates which shall better withstand the strains to which they are subjected in use and under which they are liable to break, especially when worn from long service, and to improve the method of manufacture of such slide plates so that they shall not only give better satisfaction in service but shall be produced more cheaply.

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated and in which Figure 1 is a top view, and Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation, of a portion of a continuous plate as it is rolled and before it is cut to form separate slide plates. Figs. 3 and 4 are views in section on the lines 3-3 and 44: respectively of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a completed slide plate, showing also, in section, a rail mounted thereon with the adjacent switch tongue and the rail brace. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but without the rail brace, a smaller rail being also indicated by dotted lines.

In the manufacture of slide plates in 'accordance with the invention, a continuous plate a, that is, a long plate, adapted to form a number of separate switch plates, is formed with a continuous riser b on its upper surface, such riser being adapted to support the movable switch tongue, indicated at c in Figs. 5 and 6, and having any suitable width, greater or less, with respect to the body a of the plate. The plate is also formed with shoulders d, d, at intervals, according to the length which each separate slide plate is to have, such shoulders d, (1, having a height greater than that of the riser, so that they project above the same and so that the rail shall not jump over the stops or abutments thus formed. The shoulders d, d, are formed as nearly rectangular as is practicable, each shoulder 03 being adapted to form an abutment for the rail f, and each shoulder d, being adapted to form an abutment for the rail brace 9, if a rail brace be used. Obviously, a series of slide plates, having the riser and the shoulders higher than the riser, either for the rail alone or for both the rail and the rail brace, may be formed either by rolling alone, as suggested, or by milling out a plate which has been partially formed by rolling. It is also to be understood that the continuous plates as described, consisting each of a series of switch plates, prepared atthe mill, are often sold to the users in that form and are cut by the user and, if necessary, further milled to suit the particular conditions of use.

The plates may be prepared and sold in the form already described, but they are preferably formed each with one or more strengthening ribs h on the underside of the plate. Such strengthening ribs may be continuous, extending from end to end of the plate a, but they are preferably formed as short strengthening ribs located at points where additional strength is required, that is, below or on the underside of the plate at opposite the seat which is formed for the rail adjacent to the shoulder d by cutting out the riser or upper part of the plate. When the continuous plate has thus been formed, with a riser and shoulders at intervals on its upper side and, if desired, with strengthening ribs on its underside, below the rail seat, it is cut, as on the lines 2', to form separate slide plates, and the riser b is cut out, adjacent to the shoulder (l to form a seat of proper width to receive the base of the rail 7, and, if a rail brace be necessary, the riser is also cut out adjacent to the shoulder cl, to form a seat for the rail brace g, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2 and as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Obviously, if no rail brace is to be used, the shoulder d may be omitted in the forming and the riser may be cut away beyond the shoulder 03 or may be permitted to remain, as convenience may require. In the finishing of each slide plate, the shoulder d or cl, as the case may be, is cut with a vertical face adjacent to the seat for the rail or for the rail brace.

Each separate slide plate, as shown, is preferably formed as a continuous flat bar, that is, without bend, with an integral riser and an integral shoulder higher than the riser, both erected on the upper surface of the bar, with a rail seatbetween the shoulder and the riser.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of forming slide plates for railway switches which consists in forming a continuous plate with a riser and shoulders at intervals on the upper side, cutting the plate transversely to form separate slide plates, with a riser and shoulder on each plate, and cutting out the riser adjacent to the shoulder to form a rail seat.

2. The method of forming slide plates for railway switches which consists in forming a continuous plate with a riser and shoulders at intervals on the upper side and strengthening ribs at intervals on the under side, cutting the plate transversely to form sepa ate slide plates with a riser, shoulder and strengthening rib on each plate, and cutting out the riser adjacent to the shoulder to form a rail seat.

3. A continuous plate formed on one side with a riser and with shoulders at intervals higher than the riser and adapted to be cut transversely to form separate slide plates.

4. A continuous plate having on one side a continuous riser and shoulders at intervals higher than the riser and adapted to be cut transversely to form separate slide plates.

5. A continuous plate having on one side a riser and shoulders at intervals and on the other side a strengthening rib, and adapted to be cut to form separate slide plates with a riser, shoulder and strengthening rib on each.

6. A continuous plate having on one side a riser and shoulders at intervals higher than the riser and on the other side a strengthening rib, and adapted to be cut to form separate slide plates with a riser, shoulder and strengthening rib on each.

7. A slide plate for railway switches consisting of a continuous fiat bar having an integral riser and an integral shoulder higher than the riser, both erected on the upper surface of the bar, and a rail seat between the shoulder and the riser.

8. A slide plate for railway switches consisting of a continuous flat bar having on one side an integral riser and an integral shoulder higher than the riser, both erected on the upper surface of the bar, a rail seat between the shoulder and the riser, and on the other side a strengthening rib.

9. A slide plate for railway switches consisting of a continuous flat bar having on one side an integral riser and an integral shoulder higher than the riser, both erected on the upper surface of the bar, with a rail seat adjacent to the shoulder, and on the other side, under the rail seat, a strengthening rib.

10. A slide plate for railway switches consisting of a continuous fiat bar having on one side an integral riser and an integral shoulder higher than the riser, both erected on th upper surface of the bar, with a rail seat adjacent to the shoulder, and on the other side, under the rail seat, a strengthening rib.

11. A slide plate for railway switches having on one side a riser, a rail brace shoulder higher than the riser, and a rail shoulder higher than the riser, with a rail seat adjacent to the rail shoulder, and on the other side, under the rail seat, a strengthening rib.

This specification signed and witnessed this 10th day of July, A. D. 1009.

ROBERT J. DAVIDSON.

Signed in the presence of Juan S. MAcGiuiGoR, JAMES B. STRONG. 

